A LIGHT SENTENCE.

Southland Times, Issue 11298, 2 November 1889, Page 2

A LIGHT SENTENCE.

Wellington, Nov. 1. No witnesses were called for the defence, and Mr Gotterell addressed the jury for the Of own. He asked them, in the first place, to put aside all questions as to whether the Donnelly or Broughton party were the aggreßsois. He presumed the defence would be on two lines, au<l firstly on that of provocation. Bat he thought it wonld rest more with the sympathies than the intelligence of the jurymen. The seoond line might be that the" prisoner was a Maori of the o'd school, and a man of hasty temper, who was likely to be greatly irritated by the action of the Donnelly party. The learned counsel quoted cases to show that provocation and baaty temper were not allowed as palliatives of murder. He said it would not do to permit natives to take the law in their own bands without impunity. No doubt Tauranga'a party were wrong in going on tha knd and behaving as they did, but that was no provocation for each a murderous attack. After Mr Oornford had addressed the Court for the defence the jury returned a verdict of manslaughter, and recommended the prisoner to mercy. The Chief Justice then passed sentence of ten years' penal servitude on Waatarawi.